Despite Ghost of Yotei Selling Millions of Copies, Sucker Punch Lays Off 24 Employees

Sucker Punch Productions, the Sony-owned studio behind Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yotei, is the latest big-name developer to be hit with layoffs. According to Aftermath, which spoke to a former Sucker Punch employee, 24 people have been let go, around a tenth of the studio’s total staff.

Success Offered No Protection

The cuts are notable because Ghost of Yotei has been a genuine commercial hit for PlayStation. The samurai adventure sold 3.3 million copies in its first month on the market, reportedly making it one of the best-selling games in the US in 2025, and it has since passed 5 million copies sold. Its Echoes of Sekigahara expansion and the recently released Complete Edition were also well received.

Despite that track record, an internal email to staff reportedly cited broader market conditions as the reason for the cuts. Studio leadership wrote that it had carefully observed the challenges in the market before deciding to eliminate several positions, and said more details about the studio’s future would follow next week.

“There’s no getting around that this is a hard day.”

Sucker Punch leadership, internal email to staff

Ghost of Yotei’s Echoes of Sekigahara expansion, pictured here, was praised by critics even as its studio faces cuts.

Part of a Wider Industry Pattern

Sucker Punch, with a total headcount below 200 according to Aftermath, is far from the only studio shedding staff this year even as its games perform well. EA shut down BioWare entirely just last week, and Microsoft recently offered buyout packages to roughly a quarter of its global workforce. Sony has not responded to requests for comment on the Sucker Punch cuts, and it remains unclear which teams or roles were affected.

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Picture Source: PlayStation